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Correspondence from David Curwen to Aleister Crowley
7a Melcombe Street, Baker St. NW1
Dec. 1st, 1945
Dear Brother Crowley:
Thanks for yours of the 30th Nov. Don't delude yourself. I certainly believe in Magic. The successful methods elude me, that's all. Hitler's magic was superb. In early 1938 when it was succeeding so well that it threatened to engulf the world, I wrote a long paper on the subject, sending it to four newspapers at the same time. I forgot the title I gave it. It told how to overcome his "magic," but not mentioning this word. I never even received a reply from any of the newspapers. They must have thought I was mad. Another crank.
It explained Hitler's Mantra "Heil Hitler" said millions of times a day by millions of dupes; it explained his Yantra the Swaztika [sic] his sigil, his symbol, painted, printed, indited, on every conceivable thing in Germany, his magic propaganda, "If you tell a lie big enough, it will be believed," etc., etc., etc.
Oh, it was succeeding beautifully; his magic was seeping through the world, but the fool had no patience. You cannot hurry nature; it takes time for a tree to grow; you cannot force it. So the fool went to war, to hurry up the goal. He started ill-treating millions of people who naturally—though unconsciously—started counter magic, by cursing him millions of times, etc., etc., until war broke out.
Then at last nations such as Russia, England and America came in with their unconscious magic. Pentacles painted on planes and vehicles by Russia and America, and the Circle by England. Well he destroyed himself; magic like everything else is not to be forced.
So you see, I do believe in magic . . . otherwise what are all my letters about, and why do I spend my energies writing to you?
And as to your X-Ray analogy; if you mean that I cannot see or realise the work that is going on all the time, invisible, but potent—to bring about the tremendous changes that are for ever going on, then you are again mistaken. I was merely trying to explain to you, that your Book of the Law could do little, because the few that can make sense of it cannot even impinge on their surroundings, let alone the nation or the world. That magic, or that natural law that causes changes to take place by the unconscious magic of peoples' actions of course is working all the time, but so it would also work were there no Liber Legis. You would like to ascribe much that happens to the fact of the book being in existence, but I think—until such time as I can be persuaded otherwise that it "Don't mean a thing" in the world. It affects only those who can utilize its secrets by putting them to the test. To all intents and purposes, after forty years, there is no doubt, or say Hitler's Mein Kampf, but Liber Legis, no!
And if indeed "I just do not understand how magic works" as you say, then I say to you, teach me. But long before I even heard of you, I knew the power of mind—mental telepathy. The same stuff that carries from one person to another across the world, brings about the results that you claim are done by spirits. Who cares how television travels so long as it comes. That stuff that fills the universe I now believe is capable of bringing about any miracle, call it spirit, mind or faneckapans; I do not care what. But I feel I do understand and believe in the power of magic, and how it works. However if you claim to be the master in this subject, then I appeal to you to teach me where I fall down on the subject.
Of course Nuit—space—ākāśa—this is the stuff that magic works in, is omnipresent, I just said so. What you call the 718 story, I shall be pleased if you would tell me. I do not pretend to know what it is about.
And as for the Martha Küntzel story, well it intrigues me, and I am certainly curious to learn what took place.
Thank you for answering my letter so quickly. I feel that I am almost speaking to you when letters arrive so fast.
Best regards and good wishes to you.
P.S. Yours always ready to learn. MAYBE I AM WRONG after all. But I still insist the Liber AL is just one more book—that's all!
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